The airfare cost the prime minister around €2,200. The government office has paid around €4,500 in expenses for his two aides, and the VIP Protection Department will pay for the trip of two bodyguards.

Butkevičius said last week that he would not travel to Brazil as the fares offered to his delegation by travel agencies, totalling €44,000, were too high.

"I want to support the Lithuanian national team, but I could not let the government office overpay for the tickets as the lowest price offer in the public procurement procedure was well above that available on ticket sales websites online. I decided to decline the previous offer and look for a cheaper option," he said in a press release on Tuesday.